Medal hunt in MelbourneIndia face an uphill task matching their superb show at Manchester as they brace up for the 18th Commonwealth Games. M.S. Unnikrishnan looks at the country’s medal hopes, while
Ivninderpal Singh goes back in time to examine India’s track record
A good show, if not an encore
— that’s what is expected from the Indian contingent for the Commonwealth Games. The Indians reaped a rich harvest of medals at the 2002 games in Manchester and a lot is at stake for them in Melbourne.
Much is expected from shooters and weightlifters, while athletes might bring a few medals

Chequered historyWrestling was once India’s number one medal-winning sport at the Commonwealth Games, but since 1990, weightlifting and shooting have vied for the top spot. Among the other disciplines, some medals have come in athletics, badminton and boxing over the decades.

When Milkha Singh became
‘Prince of Wales'The Flying Sikh recalls his historic victory at Cardiff in a chat with
Vikramdeep Johal
Milkha Singh is best known for his heroic run at the 1960 Rome Olympics, where he came tantalisingly close to winning a bronze medal, but it was in 1958 that he blazed a glorious trail.

India face an uphill task matching their superb show at Manchester as they brace up for the 18th Commonwealth Games. M.S. Unnikrishnan looks at the country’s medal hopes, while
Ivninderpal Singh goes back in time to examine India’s track record

A good show, if not an encore — that’s what is expected from the Indian contingent for the Commonwealth Games. The Indians reaped a rich harvest of medals at the 2002 games in Manchester and a lot is at stake for them in Melbourne.

Being the hosts of the 2010 edition in New Delhi, the flag of the Commonwealth Games Federation would be handed over to the Indian squad during the closing ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Though India will participate in 10 events in the quadrennial games — athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, gymnastics, hockey, shooting, swimming and weightlifting — most of the medals are expected to come from shooting and weightlifting, with some hopes pinned on athletics, boxing and hockey.

The Indian medal haul may fall at Melbourne as the scare of getting caught in the dope web has forced many federations to dump some of their medal prospects for the Commonwealth Games. The official reduction in the number of medals for weightlifting from 27 to 15 will also adversely affect India’s chances, as lifters had made a killing in Manchester, where they won 27 medals, including 11 gold.

India are not taking part in judo, which fetched a silver and bronze, and in wrestling, which won three gold, two silver and one bronze medal, at Manchester.

Thus, the prospects seem not too bright for India, and this was admitted by Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi and Secretary-General Randhir Singh before the first batch of the over -250-strong contingent left for Melbourne for the March 15-26 games.

It would, therefore, be a herculean task for the country to match their fourth-place finish, behind Australia, England and Canada, at Manchester with a haul of 69 medals — 30 gold, 22 silver and 17 bronze.

Flag-bearer-designate and double-trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and women’s long-jumper Anju Bobby George are considered strong contenders for medals, though Anju’s two best leaps this season — 6.32 at the Asian Indoor Championship at Pattaya (Malaysia) and 6.47 metres in the Federation Cup in Delhi — were not exactly confidence-boosting.

No medal is expected in basketball (both men and women), which is making its Commonwealth debut, besides gymnastics and swimming.

Playing it safe

A sure indication of the shape of things to come for India in the Melbourne games was evident when the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), headed in the not-too-distant past by Suresh Kalmadi, pruned its list from the original 33 (14 men and 19 women) submitted to the IOA to 18 (four men and 14 women). The AFI selection committee felt that most of the listed athletes had failed to attain the qualification criteria, perceived to be the third-place finish of the Manchester games, though there was nothing “official” about it.

The men selected include the gangling Ghamanda Ram of the Army, who is considered a medal prospect in the 800m, US-based thrower Vikas Gowda (shot put and discus throw), 20km walker Parayil Srendren Jalan and decathlete Jora Singh. Jora got the nod after setting a national record in the 12th Federation Cup in Delhi last week. But Jora’s national record of 7,502 points was 128 points less than the bronze-medal performance at Manchester!

Anju’s bronze in long jump and Neelam Jaswant Singh’s silver in discus throw added sheen to the Manchester medal tally, though Neelam disgraced the nation at Athens when she tested positive for a banned substance during the 2004 Olympics.

Once bitten twice shy, the Athletics Federation of India has played it safe this time by including only those who are “clean” and have the potential to be among medals what with the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) sleuths hot on the trail of drug offenders.

Shooting stars

Shooting is one event in which India expect a handful of medals. The 27-member squad (16 men and 11 women) is packed with defending champions and potential winners. At Manchester, Indian shooters struck 23 medals, which included 14 gold, six silver and three bronze. Jaspal Rana and Anjali Ved Bhagwat picked up four golds each while Rathore hit two golds, though he was not a star then.

In weightlifting—women’s category in particular—India would feel the pinch as the stars of Manchester will be missing. India won 27 medals in the last games, but the event is shorn of 10 medals at Melbourne as the rule change allows awarding medals only for the total lift, and not for clean and jerk. Shailaja Pujari and Sanamacha Chanu, who had won three gold each, and Pratima Kumari, who had done well in the last games, have been cast away for doping violations. The burden now rests on 40-plus-year-old Kunjarani Devi, who too, had a haul of three gold in the 48kg last time, but is past her prime now.

In boxing, Som Bahadur Pun has vowed that he would settle for nothing less than the gold after missing the yellow metal by a whisker in the last games. His defeat in the featherweight (upto 57kg final) to Hyder Ali of Pakistan still rankles Pun who seeks a gold at Melbourne as he wants to compensate for missing the Athens Olympics due to injury.

In hockey, both the men’s and women’s teams face an uphill task. The men are yet to get over the whipping in the Champions Trophy, while the women’s team is packed with new players.

The women’s team had sprung a surprise at Manchester when they clinched the gold. But the present squad, led by Sumrai Tete, will find it tough to stay put on the
high pedestal as only six of the players from that winning squad figure in the
16-member squad.

Nine-time national badminton champion Aparna Popat would be striving to do better than her bronze medal finish at Manchester, provided she shows the right temperament and skills to beat the English, Canadian and Australian girls.
— M.S.U.

Wrestling was once India’s number one medal-winning sport at the Commonwealth Games, but since 1990, weightlifting and shooting have vied for the top spot. Among the other disciplines, some medals have come in athletics, badminton and boxing over the decades.

India made their maiden appearance at the games in London (1934) and have so far claimed 223 medals in all, including 80 gold, with the best haul — 69 medals (30 gold) — being at Manchester, 2002.

India won their first Commonwealth medal, a bronze, in wrestling at the 1934 games. Rashid Anwar fetched the medal in welterweight (74 kg). This was the only success India enjoyed at the games before Independence.

At the 1958 games in Cardiff (Wales), Flying Sikh Milkha Singh clinched the first Commonwealth gold for India in the 440-yard run. Wrestlers contributed two medals, taking India’s tally to three. Lila Ram won the gold in heavyweight (100 kg) and Lachmi Kant Pandey bagged the silver in welterweight (74 kg).

India entered double figures in the medal haul in 1966 when it won 10, including three gold, at Kingston, Jamaica. Wrestlers fetched seven medals, including three gold medals. Bishambar Singh won in bantamweight (57 kg), Bhim Singh in heavyweight (100 kg) and Mukhtiar Singh in lightweight (68 kg).

Wrestlers did India proud again at Christchurch (1974), with all 10 winning a medal each (four gold, five silver and a bronze). The gold winners were Sudesh Kumar (52 kg), Prem Nath (57 kg), Jagroop Singh (68 kg) and Raghunath Pewar (74 kg).

India’s medal haul remained unchanged in Edmonton (1978), but Prakash Padukone made history by winning the first gold for India in the badminton singles event. Ekambaraim Karunakarun also won the first weightlifting gold for India (52 kg combined).

At Brisbane in 1982, India retained the badminton singles gold thanks to Syed Modi. The rest of the gold medals were won again by wrestlers.

Wrestling did not figure among the disciplines at the 1990 games in Auckland. Still, India bagged 13 gold medals, till then their highest in any Commonwealth Games, including 12 in weightlifting. The other lone gold was won in shooting by Ashok Pandit (centre fire pistol).

At Victoria (Canada) in 1994, India’s gold medal haul came down to six — three each in shooting and weightlifting. Though wrestling was reintroduced, Indians just managed two silver and three bronze in the discipline.

At Kuala Lumpur in 1998, team games were featured for the first time. However, India failed to win a medal in cricket as well as hockey. Shooters and weightlifters again hogged the limelight, pocketing all seven gold medals won by India in this edition of the games. Jaspal Rana (centre fire pistol), Ashok Pandit and Jaspal Rana (center fire pistol team), Mansher Singh and Manavjit Singh Sandhu (clay pigeon trap team) and Roopa Unnikrishnan (women’s smallbore sport rifle prone) were the “golden” shooters, while Dharmraj Wilson (56 kg clean and jerk), Arumugam K. Pandian (56 kg combined) and Satheesha “Satish” Rai (77 kg snatch) won top honours in weightlifting.

Indian sportspersons put up a remarkable show at Manchester in 2002. With an all-time-high haul of 69 medals (30 gold, 22 silver and 17 bronze), they were placed an unprecedented fourth in the medal tally.

Even though a majority of these medals came in weightlifting and shooting, 27 and 24 respectively, there were contributions from players in other disciplines as well. The women’s hockey team struck gold. The 22-year-old Mohammad Ali Qamar gave India their first Commonwealth boxing gold.

Ramesh Kumar and Krishna Kumar pouched gold medals in wrestling. Anjali Bhagwat hit the bull’s eye four times and weightlifter Kunjurani Devi, who came to the event after serving a six-month ban, lifted three gold medals. Importantly, Indian women won more gold medals (16) then the men (14). As if that was not enough, Indian shooters and weightlifters created 21 records at Manchester.
— I.S.

The Flying Sikh recalls his historic victory at Cardiff in a chat with
Vikramdeep Johal

GOLDEN triumph: Report and photos from The Tribune dated July 25 and July 30, 1958

Milkha Singh is best known for his heroic run at the 1960 Rome Olympics, where he came tantalisingly close to winning a bronze medal, but it was in 1958 that he blazed a glorious trail.

After winning gold medals in 200 metres and 400 metres at the Tokyo Asian Games, Milkha arrived in the Welsh city of Cardiff for the Commonwealth Games in July, 1958.

His main rival in the quarter mile (440 yards or 402.34 metres) was Malcolm Spence of South Africa, who had finished sixth in the Melbourne Olympics two years earlier (Milkha had also taken part in the 1956 games but had been eliminated in the heats).

“Malcolm was a very fast finisher,” recalls Milkha. “He used to run slower during the first 300 metres of the race and picked up immense speed over the final stretch. My American coach, Dr Howard, told me before the final that I had to upset Malcolm’s strategy.”

Milkha’s fast run during the first three-quarters of the race flummoxed his South African rival, and the latter failed to catch up with him. The Indian clocked 46.6 seconds to set a Commonwealth record and win the gold, while Malcolm had to be content with the silver with a timing of 46.9 seconds.

Milkha's eyes brimmed with tears of joy during the medal ceremony. “Both myself and Malcolm were crying while standing on the podium, but for opposite reasons,” he reminisces.

Virtually unknown when he landed in Wales, Milkha instantly became popular and made the Western world sit up and take notice of him. The Indian High Commissioner, Vijaylaxmi Pandit, who was among the spectators, came down to congratulate him. Milkha didn’t know who she was, but she didn’t mind introducing herself.

“Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was so delighted with my success that he asked me what I wanted,” says Milkha. “I could have asked for land or money, but in all innocence, all that I requested for was a national holiday to celebrate my victory.”

In recognition of his brilliant performances in the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, the Padma Shri was conferred on Milkha in 1959.

Next year came the biggest race of his career — the 400 metres event in Rome. Ironically, it was Malcolm Spence who beat him to the bronze medal. Milkha clocked 45.6 seconds, while Malcom timed 45.5. Otis Davis of the USA won the race, followed by Carl Kaufman of Germany. The high quality of the race can be gauged from the fact that all these four runners broke the Olympic record.

Milkha struck gold in 400 metres at the 1962 Jakarta Asiad as well, but he unluckily didn’t get a chance to win another Commonwealth gold as India did not send a contingent to Perth in view of the war against China.

Milkha fondly recalls those golden moments, but he is also saddened by the fact that no Indian athlete has won a Commonwealth gold medal after him.

“Despite vastly improved facilities and great incentives, no athlete has emulated me at the Commonwealth Games. I was the first to do it, and I am still the only one,” he laments.